Hackney Socialist Unity October 2006

If you believe Hackney Council’s propaganda, you'd think we live under the most generous administration on the planet. Awash we are with fantastic new services.

Just the odd caveat:

• Many are re-openings or replacements of facilities closed by Hackney's Labour Council in the past. Petchey Academy is on the site of the old Kingsland school; Mossbourne on the site of Hackney Downs – both closed by the Labour Council against opposition from students, parents, staff and the community. It closed London Fields lido in 1988!
• Other facilities that it has closed over the years remain closed.

Hackney Council has a draft new policy for hiring out estate community halls, under which:

• Residents will no longer be able to use their estate's hall free of charge for events such as kids’ birthday parties.
• Anyone holding a one-off event must pay £150 deposit.
• Groups hiring a hall would have to pay more.
• TRAs will pay utility bills, currently paid by the Council.

The effects will be to:

Ernesto Leal has won his right to stay in Britain – and the Home Office will not appeal against the decision.

Ernesto came from Chile to Britain as a child in the 1970s, fleeing Pinochet's repression with the rest of his family. After living in Scotland for years, he now lives in Hackney. His first language is English, he no longer has family in Chile.

But the government wanted to kick him out of the country. Why? Because he got in trouble with the law a few years back, and when the Tories and the tabloids began their hysteria about 'foreign criminals', Ernesto was a convenient pawn in a

Hackney Labour’s election manifesto said that the Council would build 2000 new affordable homes. As the government refuses to pay for this without privatisation, the Council would need to defy the government and provide public housing. But don’t expect that from Hackney Council. They have secret plans of their own.

They plan to “infill” estates, selling land to RSLs to build on. So far they have identified 28, but soon nearly all estates will see land sold. Green space will be lost making overcrowded ‘concrete jungles’; on six estates, homes will be demolished.

Challenged in the local Labour

Opposition to East London Line privatisation is growing in Hackney. But Jennette Arnold (our GLA member) says that it’s not really privatisation and RMT is scaremongering! In fact, all the rail unions oppose this privatisation, as did TUC Congress - unanimously.

Jennette Arnold’s arguments insult our intelligence. A private Train Operating Company will put profits first, attacking safety, service standards and workers’ rights. Rail privatisation has brought disasters, overcrowded trains and soaring fares. Labour Party policy is to renationalise the railways. It’s another reason to support